CenturyLink Inc (CTL): Today's Featured Telecommunications Laggard

Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.

CenturyLink ( CTL) pushed the Telecommunications industry lower today making it today's featured Telecommunications laggard. The industry as a whole closed the day up 8.1%. By the end of trading, CenturyLink fell $0.55 (-1.6%) to $32.92 on average volume. Throughout the day, 5,849,569 shares of CenturyLink exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 5,295,300 shares. The stock ranged in price between $32.91-$33.35 after having opened the day at $33.34 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $33.47. Other companies within the Telecommunications industry that declined today were: Deltathree ( DDDC), down 9.1%, Oi ( OIBR), down 8.0%, Novatel Wireless ( NVTL), down 7.0% and Linktone ( LTON), down 6.8%.

CenturyLink, Inc. operates as an integrated telecommunications company in the United States. CenturyLink has a market cap of $20.3 billion and is part of the technology sector. Shares are down 7.0% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 9 analysts that rate CenturyLink a buy, 3 analysts rate it a sell, and 6 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates CenturyLink as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its compelling growth in net income, good cash flow from operations, impressive record of earnings per share growth, expanding profit margins and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself.